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United Rentals

United Rentals soars after execs say tariff turmoil could make renting equipment more attractive

The world’s largest rental company reaffirmed its full-year guidance on expectations that economic uncertainty could jump-start demand.

Nia Warfield
4/24/25 12:41PM

United Rentals shares surged 10% Thursday after the company said it could benefit from ongoing trade turbulence.

United Rentals is the world’s largest equipment rental company, offering a wide range of machinery and tools for construction, industrial, and homeowner projects. Execs say current tariff troubles could work in their favor, since uncertainty often makes renting more appealing than owning.

“The one thing I might add on tariffs and certainly anytime there’s uncertainty, that tends to favor rental over ownership and we never advocate for uncertainty… but there obviously are a couple of things that the macro is trying to struggle with,” Chief Financial Officer Ted Grace said on the earnings call. “So I’d say at the margin that’s also going to benefit rental even more than we think some of the other advantages we have over ownership.”

The company also easily topped Q1 earnings estimates and reaffirmed its full-year guidance for both adjusted EBITDA and revenue. With over 1,100 rental locations across North America, United Rentals is betting that economic hesitation will keep fueling demand for its fleet.

Executives also downplayed cost risks from tariffs, saying capital expenditures for the year are already locked in. Looking ahead to 2026, they plan to lean on suppliers who can sidestep price hikes. Wall Street’s optimistic too, with the stock currently holding an average “buy” rating from analysts polled by FactSet, the highest sentiment since last June.

Shares of United Rentals have fallen about 6% year to date.

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Goldman Sachs’ basket of “retail favorites” — its heaviest weights are Reddit, AppLovin, and Tempus AI — was the second-biggest gainer among the company’s flagship US equity baskets on Friday, rising about 1.6%. The S&P was almost dead flat.

It’s not Rocket Lab’s first retail rodeo, as the money-losing company has more than doubled this year and is up nearly 700% over the last 12 months.

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Six Flags pops after reiterating its guidance as theme park attendance rebounds

Six Flags shares rose more than 7% today after the company reported a rebound in attendance and early season pass sales heading into the fall. The nine-week period ended August 31 saw 17.8 million guests, up about 2% from the same stretch last year, with stronger momentum in the final four weeks. 

More importantly, Six Flags reaffirmed its full-year adjusted EBITDA guidance of $860 million to $910 million, showing confidence that its cost and operations strategy can stay strong for the duration of the year. Riding that wave, Six Flags also said early 2026 season pass unit sales are pacing ahead of last year, and average season pass prices are up about 3%.

The good vibes come despite a drop in in-park per-capita spending, especially from admissions, where promotions and changes to attendance mix (which parks or days guests visit) have weighed. Earlier this week, the amusement giant signed a new agreement that extended its position as the exclusive amusement park partner for Peanuts™ in North America through 2030.

Despite the rally, Six Flags shares are down about 52% year to date.

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Rivian turns red on the year, squeezed by a recall and the looming end of the EV tax credit

Shares of EV maker Rivian are down more than 5% on Friday following the company’s recall of 24,214 vehicles due to a software issue. The stock move erases Rivian’s year-to-date gain and turns the company negative on the year.

Rivian’s 2025 model year R1S and R1T are affected by the defect, which was identified after a vehicle’s hands-free highway assist software failed to identify another vehicle on the road, causing a low-speed collision. Rivian said it’s released an over-the-air update to fix the issue.

The recall marks Rivian’s fifth this year, affecting nearly 70,000 of its vehicles.

Rivian’s shares are down more than 20% from their 2025 high, which came prior to the passage of President Trump’sbig, beautiful bill.” Through the legislation, the $7,500 EV tax credit is set to expire at the end of the month.

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